The preface

Most excellent Theophilus. The first four verses of the gospel are what we would now call a ‘preface’, dedicating the work to a patron. It is the preface to the writings of an author whose name tradition has preserved as Luke, and who may in fact (though we cannot be sure of it) be the same person as ‘Luke, the beloved physician’ (Colossians 4.14), the friend and companion of Paul. Then, as now, writing a preface showed the work to be a literary project. But this is not characteristic of New Testament writings, which were written for religious rather than literary purposes; it is only here and at the beginning of Acts (which is the second part of Luke's work) that any kind of preface occurs. Luke presents himself, therefore, as someone unusual among New Testament writers: a conscious literary stylist ready to make use of the conventions of the world of letters. His opening paragraph is a smooth and polished piece of Greek prose.

Greek historians took it for granted that their work should begin with a preface (often including a dedication) explaining the writer's purpose and methods. Luke, who certainly felt himself to be writing a chapter of world history, followed the same convention, including also the customary dedication to a personal friend or influential acquaintance. Luke's preface, though it is shorter and less fulsome than most, is entirely in the spirit of his age.